System, apparatus, and method for incremental motion correction in magnetic resonance imaging

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for incremental motion correction in medical imaging. The apparatus for motion correction in magnetic resonance imaging includes processing circuitry configured to estimate an intermediate image from a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-space corresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonance scan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within the magnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-space determined to have minimal motion, estimate motion parameters of a second section of the k-space using the estimated intermediate image, combine data from the first section of the k-space with data from the second section of the k-space according to the estimated motion parameters, and reconstruct the combined data of the k-space to generate a final image.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to motion correction in medical imaging.In particular, the present disclosure relates to motion correction inmagnetic resonance imaging.

Description of the Related Art

Medical imaging generates images of internal organs and tissues of apatient's body. For example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radiowaves, magnetic fields, and magnetic-field gradients to generate imagesof internal organs and tissues. Once these images have been generated, aphysician can use the images for diagnosing patient injuries ordiseases.

The diagnostic quality of images, however, can be greatly reduced bymotion. Motion, which may be a result of the inability of a patient toremain still, presents a major challenge in MRI, in particular. Incertain cases, motion can render an image non-diagnostic. In oneanalysis, it was found that as many as 15.4% of head and neck scans needto be repeated due to motion. In another analysis, 55 of 175 imagingexaminations show some evidence of motion, 29 examinations thereofincluding at least one repeated sequence. Repeated sequences can befinancially and temporally costly for the patient, the operator, and thehospital.

Moreover, efforts to account for the above-described motion aretypically inadequate. For instance, such techniques often result ineither low diagnostic quality images or require time-intensive processesthat render the approach of little use in clinical settings. Consideringfurther that motion can have an outsized impact on patients sufferingfrom movement disorders, which may lead to the inability to provideeffective medical care to these patients, a new approach to motioncorrection is needed for medical imaging.

The foregoing “Background” description is for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors, to theextent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects ofthe description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the timeof filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior artagainst the present invention.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to incremental motion correction inmedical imaging.

According to an embodiment, an apparatus for incremental motioncorrection in magnetic resonance imaging, the apparatus comprisingprocessing circuitry configured to estimate an intermediate image from afirst section of k-space, the first section of the k-space correspondingto acquisition time points within a magnetic resonance scan of asubject, the corresponding acquisition time points within the magneticresonance scan being associated with shots of the k-space determined tohave minimal motion, estimate motion parameters of a second section ofthe k-space using the estimated intermediate image, combine data fromthe first section of the k-space with data from the second section ofthe k-space according to the estimated motion parameters, andreconstruct the combined data of the k-space to generate a final image.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure further relates to amethod for incremental motion correction in magnetic resonance imaging,comprising estimating, by processing circuitry, an intermediate imagefrom a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-spacecorresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonancescan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within themagnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-spacedetermined to have minimal motion, estimating, by the processingcircuitry, motion parameters of a second section of the k-space usingthe estimated intermediate image, combining, by the processingcircuitry, data from the first section of the k-space with data from thesecond section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters, and reconstructing, by the processing circuitry, thecombined data of the k-space to generate a final image.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure further relates to anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, causethe computer to perform a method for incremental motion correction inmagnetic resonance imaging, comprising estimating an intermediate imagefrom a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-spacecorresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonancescan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within themagnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-spacedetermined to have minimal motion, estimating motion parameters of asecond section of the k-space using the estimated intermediate image,combining data from the first section of the k-space with data from thesecond section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters, and reconstructing the combined data of the k-space togenerate a final image.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method for incremental motion correction,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an implementation of a method forincremental motion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3C is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3D is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4A is a schematic block diagram of a sub process of a method forincremental motion correction, according to an exemplary implementationof the present disclosure:

FIG. 4B is a schematic block diagram of a sub process of a method forincremental motion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure,

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure:

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a sub process of a method for incrementalmotion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an implementation of a method forincremental motion correction, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure:

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a medical imaging system configured toimplement a method of incremental motion correction, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a magnetic resonance imagingsystem, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or morethan two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least asecond or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein,are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). Reference throughoutthis document to “one embodiment”, “certain embodiments”, “anembodiment”, “an implementation”, “an example” or similar terms meansthat a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments without limitation.

The exemplary embodiments are described in the context of methods havingcertain steps. However, the methods and compositions operate effectivelywith additional steps and steps in different orders that are notinconsistent with the exemplary embodiments. Thus, the presentdisclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, butis to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles andfeatures described herein and as limited only by the appended claims.

Furthermore, where a range of values is provided, it is to be understoodthat each intervening value between an upper and lower limit of therange—and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range—isencompassed within the disclosure. Where the stated range includes upperand lower limits, ranges excluding either of those limits are alsoincluded. Unless expressly stated, the terms used herein are intended tohave the plain and ordinary meaning as understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art. Any definitions are intended to aid the reader inunderstanding the present disclosure, but are not intended to vary orotherwise limit the meaning of such terms unless specifically indicated.

In the case of patients that suffer from movement disorders, orneurologic conditions that affect movement, medical imaging can beproblematic. For these patients, who may suffer from ataxia, dystonia,Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, andtremors, among others, and for patients who are generally restless, thephysical stillness required of many imaging modalities is all butimpossible. As a result, images resulting therefrom often exhibitgreatly reduced diagnostic quality, as the ability to account forpatient motion is insufficient or time-intensive enough that it isimpractical.

To this end, motion from a patient, or other object, during a magneticresonance (MR) scan, for instance, can introduce artifacts inreconstructed images (e.g., blurring, ghosting, signal loss, etc.),which may lead to misdiagnosis or repetitive imaging in an effort tomitigate motion errors. While certain motion can be accounted for, to anextent, certain patients, such as those described above who sufferneurologic conditions, cannot control limb movements sufficiently toallow for motionless imaging, thereby introducing a sporadic motionfactor into the MR scan task.

As background, it should be appreciated that MRI systems do not acquiredata directly in image-space, but rather, in the frequency or Fourierspace. Motion artifacts can materialize in a scan due to myriad factorsincluding, other than patient motion, the image structure, type ofmotion, MR pulse sequence settings, and k-space acquisition strategy.The center of k-space contains low spatial frequency informationcorrelated to objects with large, low contrast features and smoothintensity variations, whereas the periphery of k-space contains highspatial frequency information correlated to edges, details, and sharptransitions. A majority of biological samples show very local spectraldensity in k-space centered around k=0. The k_(x) and k_(y) axes ofk-space correspond to the horizontal (x-) and vertical (y-) axes of atwo-dimensional (2D) image. The k-axes, however, represent spatialfrequencies in the x- and y-directions rather than positions. For athree-dimensional (3D) image volume, the k_(Y) axis is also sampled,corresponding to a slice dimension of the image volume. Since the objectin k-space is described by global planar waves, each point in k-spacecontains spatial frequency and phase information about every pixel inthe final image. Conversely, each pixel in the image maps to every pointin k-space. Simple reconstruction using an inverse FFT (iFFT) assumesthe object has remained stationary during the time the k-space data weresampled. Therefore, errors from object motion have a pronounced effecton the final reconstructed image because a change in a single sample ink-space can affect the entire image. Since scan durations can takeminutes in order to acquire the data necessary for image reconstruction,attempts have been made to accelerate the imaging speed as well as todetect and correct for motion in images, as will be described herein.

Several approaches to avoiding or correcting motion artifacts in MRIhave been previously implemented. These approaches can be generallydefined as prospective motion correction methods and retrospectivemotion correction methods. Prospective motion correction methods caninclude continuous, or semi-continuous, measurement of patient motion inorder to track a position of the patient over time and updateacquisition parameters in anticipation of patient motion. Opticalcameras deploying structured light and/or fiducial markers can be used.While prospective motion correction offers high accuracy and hightemporal resolution, such approaches often require special hardware andcalibration, making them expensive and difficult to consistently andaccurately implement. Retrospective motion correction methods caninclude machine learning-based methods and non-machine learning-basedmethods. Typically, these techniques are based on radial acquisitionmethods, which force slow acquisition and result in limited contrast.Machine learning-based methods can include a combination ofphysics-based models and machine learning networks to solve for motionusing data consistency measures. In this way, the machine learningnetwork can provide a jump start on finding solutions to the set ofmotion parameters. However, the primary drawback of machinelearning-based approaches to motion correction is the large parameterspace to be solved. In most cases, this approach requires simultaneoussolving of sets of motion parameters for each view, or shot, of theimaging space. For in-plane affine transformations, including twotranslations and one rotation, the number of independent parameters tobe solved for can easily be approximately 100, accounting motionparameters and the number of shots. Thus, the size and complexity ofthis non-convex problem makes the solution slow and possibly unstable.

Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method forthe reduction of the parameter space to be solved is described. Bysolving for the motion parameter set one shot at a time, the size of theproblem to be solved can be reduced from approximately 100 to 3. In anembodiment, this allows machine learning-based methods to beimplemented.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes, first,generating an initial ‘clean image’ comprising a subset of the totalshots of an MR scan. The initial ‘clean image’, which reflects a minimalmotion state of the patient, can be used in order to jump start futureconvergence calculations when new datasets are considered. The newdatasets may be data from a single shot of k-space, the data from thesingle shot of k-space having comparable differences from the ‘cleanimage’ and thus allowing the datasets to be compared. In an embodiment,image quality (IQ) changes incrementally with small changes inacceleration factor (e.g., an acceleration factor, R, of 2.6 and 2.3create very similar images). As new data is added to the intermediateimage, the acceleration factor is slightly reduced.

Described differently, it can be assumed, in an example, that a first Kseconds of an MRI acquisition are motion-free. For instance, it may bethat a patient can maintain stillness for 10-30 seconds of the MRIacquisition. Data from a first M shots, corresponding to the first Kseconds (e.g. 10-30 seconds), can be used to generate an initial ‘cleanimage’. Of course, it can be appreciated that M can be easily adjustedas an operator parameter and based on assessment of ‘motion risk’ of thepatient over time. As indicated, the M shots of k-space data can be usedto reconstruct an image. Though not of a high quality, the imagereconstructed from under-sampled k-space data is an intermediate imagethat can be used to establish a baseline for estimating motionparameters of a subsequent intermediate image and a final image. Usingthe intermediate image reconstructed from the M shots, a subsequent shotof data, or M+1 shot, can be considered and motion parameters thereofcan be calculated using a motion estimation method. If the calculatedmotion parameters are too large, or the data between M shots and M+1shot is deemed inconsistent beyond a threshold data consistency value,among other comparisons, data from the M+1 shot can be discarded.Otherwise, the data from the M+1 shot can be added to the data from theM shots and the motion parameters estimated for M+1 can be added to avector of motion parameters describing the final image. Afterconsidering the data from the M+1 shot, and incorporating the data fromthe M+1 shot, as appropriate, a M+2 shot can be considered in the sameway as the M+1 shot was considered and the above-described process canbe repeated. The motion parameters within the vector of motionparameters can be used to generate a subsequent intermediate image aswell as a final image, if no additional shots are to be considered.

In view of the above, it can be appreciated that creating an initialimage using all shots of the k-space can lead to significant imageartifacts, a result of including shots with significant motion (as shownin FIG. 7). On the other hand, creating an image with only one or a fewmotion free shots is likely insufficient, as an image reconstructed fromsuch little data is likely to be of low quality. Thus, as herein, anintermediate image reconstructed from M shots will have greatly reducedmotion when compared with an image generated from all shots of thek-space and the image will be derived from enough data such that itserves as a sufficient ‘clean’ image for estimating motion in futureshots.

In an embodiment, minimal motion shots of the k-space may have zeromotion. In another embodiment, minimal motion shots of the k-space mayonly have a small amount of motion when compared with other shots of thek-space. In this case, it can be understood that the minimal motionshots of the k-space have relatively zero motion.

To this end, “minimal motion” can be defined as shots of the k-space,within a k-space dataset, having the least amount of motion within thek-space dataset. In an example, the shots identified as being ‘minimalmotion’ may have elevated levels of motion, considered absolutely, butmay have ‘minimal motion’ when considered relative to other shots of thek-space dataset.

Of course, ‘minimal motion’ further depends upon scan condition andindividual patient behavior. As described below with reference to FIG.3A through FIG. 3D, ‘minimal motion’ could be determined by comparisonsto threshold values or by evaluation of chronological acquisition of theMR scan.

In any event, it can be appreciated that the number of shots of thek-space selected to have ‘minimal motion’ should be sufficiently largeto have enough data such that the first intermediate image constructedtherefrom has adequate image quality to enable other methods to proceed.

In an embodiment, the initial ‘clean image’, or intermediate image, canbe a reconstruction of the data from the identified minimal motion shotsof the k-space and the vector of motion parameters. In an example, thereconstruction can be done by an accelerated image reconstruction methodsuch as compressed sensing and parallel imaging. In another example, thereconstruction can be performed at one or more resolutions in order toexpedite the method. The one or more resolutions may be achieved byeliminating data within shots of the k-space, as appropriate. Of course,it can be appreciated that machine learning-based reconstruction methodsmay also be used for speed.

In an embodiment, a final image, or the image generated after havingconsidered and accounted for, or discarded, all shots of the k-space,can be reconstructed based on the vector of motion parameters andaccording to any type of reconstruction method. In an example, thereconstruction method may be the same as was used for the intermediateimages or may be another method that provides higher quality images. Inanother example, the reconstruction may be performed at varyingresolutions. For instance, the resolution of the final imagereconstruction may be higher than the resolution of the intermediateimage reconstructions, the lower resolution of the intermediate imagereconstructions allowing for accelerated motion correction from shot toshot.

According to an embodiment, the methods of the present disclosure arenot limited to using a first M shots, acquired chronologically, in orderto generate an initial image estimate. The initial image estimated maybe, instead, based on a minimization of a calculation of a motion metricfor each shot within the k-space. Accordingly, the initial imageestimate may be based on M shots of N total shots of the k-space havinglowest motion, and the M shots may be acquired at any time within the MRscan.

According to an embodiment, methods of the present disclosure can beimplemented as described below. First, a number of M shots needed toform an initial intermediate image can be calculated. The number of Mshots can be based on a number of shots and an acceleration factor. Inan example, the number of M shots can be selected in order to provide anacceleration factor. R, of between 3 and 4. Next, the N total shots ofthe k-space may be considered chronologically and the M shots may beselected therefrom. Alternatively, N total shots of the k-space can besorted according to motion (or a motion score calculated for each shot).The M shots having the lowest motion can be selected to generate theinitial intermediate image. The M shots with least motion can beselected using a k-space/image-space quantitative metric that can beused as a surrogate measure of motion. Motion parameters of a vector ofmotion parameters describing a final image can be updated based on thisminimal motion reference frame.

In an embodiment, for shots M+1 to N total shots, motion within eachshot can be estimated using a prior intermediate image. For instance,motion parameters of a 9^(th) shot of k-space can be estimated based onan intermediate image generated according to the first 8 evaluated shotsof k-space. The motion parameters of the 9^(th) shot of k-space can thenbe included within the vector of motion parameters and used duringintermediate image reconstruction and final image reconstruction toaccount for motion artifacts.

In an embodiment, final image estimation can be performed using datafrom the first section and subsequent sections deemed suitable, and thevector of motion parameters, using any desired reconstruction method.

Turning now to the Figures, the above-described methods will begenerally described with respect to the flow diagram of FIG. 1. FIG. 1describes method 100, an incremental motion correction method formedical imaging modalities, writ large, and MRI, in particular.

As indicated, in order to perform incremental motion correction, a first‘clean image’ estimation needs to be generated on the basis of one ormore shots of k-space data determined to be of minimal motion.Accordingly, at sub process 110 of method 100, an intermediate image canbe estimated from a first section of k-space. The first section ofk-space can be one or more shots. M, of k-space data from N total shotsof the acquired k-space data of the MR scan. As will be described later,the first section of k-space can be selected according to acquisitiontime and or quality of the underlying shot data. The intermediate imageof the first section of k-space can be reconstructed according to areconstruction method. In a non-limiting example, the reconstructionmethod can be an accelerated image reconstruction method such ascompressed sensing (CS) and parallel imaging (PI). In another example,the reconstruction method can be a machine learning-based reconstructionmethod that enhances speed in intermediate image reconstruction.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the intermediate image can beestimated by:{circumflex over (X)} _(M)=min_(X) ∥A _(M) FS{circumflex over (T)}_(all) X−y _(M)∥₂ ²  (1)where y_(M) is the k-space data from first M shots selected as havingminimal motion, A_(M) is a sampling matrix for phase-encoding (PE) linesacquired in the first M shots, X represents the reconstructed image, Sis the sensitivity maps of the receiver coils, F is the FourierTransform operator, {circumflex over (T)}_(all) is the estimated motionparameters for the shots of the N total shots of the k-space that areincluded in a final image, and {circumflex over (X)}_(M), which is to besolved for, is the image estimated from the first M shots. Determinationof which shots of the N total shots are included in the final image willbe described later. The estimation of Equation (1) can be performed by,for instance, conjugate gradient-based sensitivity encoding (CG-SENSE)or another accelerated image reconstruction method.

Based on the initial M shots of the intermediate image, it can beappreciated that a vector comprising the motion parameters of a possibleN total shots of the k-space included in the final image can bedescribed as:{circumflex over (T)} _(all)=[0,0, . . . ,{circumflex over (T)}_(f)]  (2)

In an embodiment, motion parameters of the N total shots of the finalimage can include, in two-dimensional image-space, two translationalcomponents and one rotational component. In other embodiments, whereinadditional dimensions of data are used (i.e. three-dimensional space),the motion parameters may be defined as having additional translationalcomponents and/or additional rotational components. Moreover, the motionparameters, as defined herein, should not be considered limiting, as anydefinition of motion parameters sufficient to allow motion correctionwithin subsequent k-space data section could be implemented herein.

Having reconstructed an intermediate image at sub process 110, method100 can proceed to sub process 120 where data from a second section ofk-space can be evaluated for motion using the estimated intermediateimage as a minimal motion reference. The second section of k-space maybe one or more shots of k-space. In an example, the second section ofk-space can be a next shot i of k-space data. Accordingly, motionparameters of the second section of k-space data can be estimated as{circumflex over (T)} _(i)=min_(T) ∥A _(i) FST{circumflex over (X)} _(M)−y _(i)∥₂ ²  (3)where y_(i) is the k-space data for the second section of k-space, orshot i, A_(i) is the sampling matrix for PE lines acquired in shot i, Trepresents the matrix of motion parameters, and {circumflex over(T)}_(i), which is to be solved for, is the estimated motion parametersfor shot i (i.e., the second section of k-space). The estimation ofEquation (3) can be performed by, for instance, Levenberg-Marquardt oranother method such as Newton's.

At sub process 130 of method 100, the motion parameters estimated forthe second section of k-space can be evaluated to determine if thesecond section of k-space should be added to the first section ofk-space data that defines a final image. Moreover, the evaluationdetermines whether the estimated motion parameters should be includedwithin the vector of motion parameters of the N total shots of thek-space, or {circumflex over (T)}_(all). {circumflex over (T)}_(all) maybe stored in data buffer 145 and may be accessible to sub process 110 ofmethod 100 and step 150 of method 100.

In determining the value of the second section of k-space, and as willbe described with reference to FIG. 6, a data consistency metric may bea motion score calculated based on the estimation of the motionparameters of the second section of k-space. A value of the dataconsistency metric may be compared to an acceptability threshold and thedata from the second section of k-space can be combined or rejected, asappropriate.

In an embodiment, and with the motion parameters for shot i estimated,{circumflex over (T)}_(i) can be added to the vector of motionparameters ({circumflex over (T)}_(all)) so that it can be used duringsubsequent intermediate image reconstruction at sub process 110 ofmethod 100 and final image reconstruction at step 150 of method 100.

Assuming the data of the second section of k-space is determined to beacceptable at sub process 130 of method 100, a combined dataset ofk-space data may include the “motion corrected” data from the secondsection of k-space and the data from the first section of k-space. Thus,at step 140 of method 100, an evaluation can be made to determine ifadditional shots of the k-space should be considered. The evaluation canbe (1) a determination of whether the number of evaluated shots is equalto the total number of shots of the k-space or, (2) a determination thatno remaining shots of a ranked N total shots, the ranked N total shotshaving been ranked according to a motion score, will improve the qualityof the final image. If it is determined at step 140 of method 100 thatadditional shots of the k-space should be evaluated, method 100 returnsto sub process 110 and repeats with reconstruction of an intermediateimage including the first section of k-space and the second section ofk-space. A third section of k-space may then be considered.Alternatively, if it is determined at step 140 of method 100 that noadditional shots of the ranked N total shots would improve the qualityof the image, method 100 proceeds to step 150 wherein a final image ofthe combined data of the k-space is generated according to a finalreconstruction method and using the vector of motion parameters storedin the data buffer 145. This may be the case, for instance, when, as isdescribed with reference to FIG. 3B, the number of evaluated shotsequals the N total shots of the k-space. In another instance, this maybe the case if, as described in FIG. 3C, a next ranked shot of the Ntotal shots is determined to not be able to improve the quality of thefinal image.

In an embodiment, the final reconstruction method may be the same as theiterative reconstruction method selected above or may be a different,higher quality reconstruction method to provide sufficiently diagnosticquality images. To this end, the iterative reconstruction methods andthe final reconstruction methods may be performed at differentresolutions and according to different techniques, based on constraintsand goals at each step.

The method described with reference to FIG. 1 will now be described withreference to the images of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 provides illustrations of amotion-corrupted image 201, an intermediate image including a first Mshots of N total shots 202, an intermediate image including M+1 shots ofthe N total shots 203, an intermediate image including M+2 shots of theN total shots 204, and an intermediate image including M+3 shots of theN total shots 205. As additional shots are added, the image estimationvia CG-SENSE is improved and acceleration factors are reduced. Forinstance, the acceleration factor for the intermediate image includingthe first M shots of the N total shots 202 has an acceleration factor of4, the intermediate image including M+1 shots of the N total shots 203has an acceleration factor of 3, the intermediate image including M+2shots of the N total shots 204 has an acceleration factor of 2.4, andthe intermediate image including M+3 shots of the N total shots 204 hasan acceleration factor of 2. Moreover, the intermediate images areimproved with the addition of additional, “motion-corrected” data fromsuccessive shots of the N total shots. For instance, estimated motionparameters for the intermediate image including M+3 shots of the N totalshots 205 may be, within a PE translation vector, {circumflex over(T)}_(all,PE)=[0, 0, 0, −1.2960, −2.7992, −3.2990] millimeters. This canbe compared with true motion parameter values for the intermediate imageincluding M+3 shots of the N total shots 205, which include, describedin the form of a PE translation vector, T_(all,PE)=[0, 0, 0, −1.3 −2.8,−3.3] millimeters. Similar vectors may be determined for rotation andfor readout (RO) translation, the remaining motion parameters of thepresent disclosure, as described above.

Turning now to FIG. 3A, sub process 110 of method 100 will be furtherdescribed. In order to estimate an intermediate image from a firstsection of k-space, it is necessary to first select a subset of thek-space as the first section of k-space. Accordingly, at sub process 311of sub process 110, a subset of the k-space is selected as the firstsection of k-space. The selection can be based on calculated dataconsistency metrics, such as motion scores, and the like, or based on achronological assessment of an MR scan. Notably, the first section ofk-space is selected in order to minimize motion and develop a minimalmotion reference as an intermediate image. Once the first section ofk-space is selected at sub process 311 of sub process 110, areconstruction of an intermediate image based on the first section ofk-space can be performed at step 319 of sub process 110. Thisreconstruction can then be used at sub process 120 of method 100 toestimate motion parameters of a second section of k-space.

Different implementations of sub process 311 of sub process 110 will nowbe described with reference to FIG. 3B through FIG. 3D.

First, with reference to FIG. 3B, the first section of k-space can beselected according to a chronological ordering of the data. In otherwords, sub process 311 of sub process 110 can be performed under theassumption that a patient is still, or having minimal motion, for atleast a first portion of a length of a MR scan. Thus, at step 312 of subprocess 311, N total shots acquired during a MR scan can be orderedaccording to the time in which they were acquired. Shots acquired first,as shown in FIG. 4A, will be assumed to have minimal motion, as it islikely for the patient to remain still for a first period of time of theexam, corresponding to the first M shots of the N total shots.Therefore, at step 313 of sub process 311, the first M shots may beselected as the first section of k-space and may correspond to a subsetof the ordered N total shots of the MR scan. The first section may beone or more shots of the k-space acquired during the MR scan and maycorrespond to, in an example, a first 20 seconds of acquisition duringthe MR scan.

In an embodiment, the first section of k-space may include one or moreshots of the k-space determined to minimize a metric used as a directmeasure of, or surrogate of, motion. To this end, a motion score may becalculated for each of N total shots of the k-space acquired during a MRscan. Then, the N total shots of the k-space may be evaluated,chronologically, according to respective motion scores. In this way, thefirst M shots of the N total shots may be the first L seconds of the MRscan wherein respective motion scores of the shots are within apredefined percentage (e.g. 1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, etc.) of aminimum motion score of the N total shots of the MR scan. In stillanother instance, the first M shots of the N total shots may be jseconds of the MR scan wherein respective motion scores of the shotshave an average motion score within a predetermined percentage (e.g. 1%,2%, 3%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, etc.) of a minimal motion score. Of course, inany of the above instances, a quantity of the first M shots of the totalN shots is variable according to motion of the patient during the MRscan.

In an embodiment, additional navigator data, generated by additionalRF-pulses (e.g. spin echo or gradient echo), may be acquired with eachshot. The navigator data can be used to determine respective motionscores for each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.

In an embodiment, motion scores may be determined by for each shot ofthe N total shots of the k-space by evaluating image gradient entropy ofimage-space transforms of each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.The images-space transforms may be low resolution transforms, in anexample, so that a rough motion evaluation may be rapidly determined. Inanother embodiment, k-space-entropy may be used to determine motionscores for each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.

Of course, with reference to FIG. 3C, the first section of the k-spacemay be selected in other ways. For instance, with reference also to FIG.4B, sub process 311 of sub process 110 may allow for selection of, asthe first section of k-space, M shots of N total shots of the k-spacethat are determined to minimize a motion metric used as a direct measureof, or surrogate of, motion.

To this end, at step 314 of sub process 311, a motion score, similar tothose described above, may be calculated for each of N total shots ofthe k-space acquired during a MR scan. Then, at step 315 of sub process311, the N total shots of the k-space may be ranked according torespective motion scores calculated at step 314 of sub process 311. Anumber of methods for generating motion scores for the N total shots ofthe k-space may be deployed.

In an embodiment, additional navigator data, generated by additionalRF-pulses (e.g. spin echo or gradient echo), may be acquired with eachshot. The navigator data can be used to determine respective motionscores for each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.

In an embodiment, motion scores may be determined by for each shot ofthe N total shots of the k-space by evaluating image gradient entropy ofimage-space transforms of each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.The images-space transforms may be low resolution transforms, in anexample, so that a rough motion evaluation may be rapidly determined. Inanother embodiment, k-space-entropy may be used to determine motionscores for each shot of the N total shots of the k-space.

At step 316 of sub process 311, the ranked N total shots of the k-spacecan be evaluated and M shots having lowest respective motion scores canbe selected as the first section of k-space. The M shots may be, in anexample, one or more shots of k-space. In an embodiment, the M shots ofthe first section of k-space may be shots of the k-space havingrespective motion scores that fall within a given deviation from alowest respective motion score of the N total shots. Of course, othermetrics and constraints may be used to define a shot of k-space withoutdeviating from the spirit of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the M shots of the N total shots may be P ranked shotsof the N total shots having respective motion scores within a predefinedpercentage (e.g. 1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, etc.) of a highest ranked(i.e., minimum motion score) shot of the N total shots of the MR scan.In still another instance, the M shots of the N total shots may be shotsof the MR scan wherein respective motions scores of the shots have anaverage motion score within a predetermined percentage (e.g. 1%, 2%, 3%,5%, 7.5%, 10%, etc.) of a highest ranked (i.e. minimum motion score)shot of the N total shots of the MR scan. Of course, in any of the aboveinstances, a quantity of the M shots of the total N shots is variableaccording to motion of the patient during the MR scan.

Alternatively, and with reference now to FIG. 3D, a first section ofk-space may be selected according to, as a data consistency metric, adata consistency error value. The data consistency error value may becalculated for each of the N total shots based on estimated motionparameters of each of the N total shots. Respective data consistencyerror values can then be evaluated and those having minimal dataconsistency error values, or having achieved data consistency errorvalues within predefined ranges (i.e. <1%, <2%, <3%, <5%, <7.5%, <10%,etc.) of a minimal data consistency error value, can be selected, atstep 318 of sub process 311, as the M shots of N total shots of k-spacethat are to be used as the first section of k-space.

In an embodiment, the data consistency error value reflects, for eachshot of the N total shots, a difference between acquired shot data anddata predicted by a forward model from an estimated intermediate imageand motion. In other words, the data consistency error value can beequal to an error value from Equation (3) used to estimate motion foreach shot of the N total shots.

In an embodiment, data consistency error values can be implementedwithin in a multi-resolution reconstruction method. For example, at afirst resolution level, each of the N total shots may be “motioncorrected” and a data consistency error value may be recorded.Subsequently, at a next resolution level, the M shots with lowest dataconsistency error values, calculated at the first resolution level, maybe used to form the intermediate image and perform incrementalcorrection, as described herein. In another embodiment, estimation atthe first resolution level may be repeated with an intermediate imagereconstructed from M shots having minimal data consistency error valuesfollowing “motion correction” at the first resolution level.

The descriptions of FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C will now be further describedwith reference to the illustrations of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.

First, with respect to sub process 311 of FIG. 3B, FIG. 4A provides aschematic describing selection of M shots to be used as a first sectionof k-space, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

It can be appreciated that a MR scan, or a MR image dataset, can includea k-space 406 that comprises N total shots of k-space data. The k-spacedata of each of the N total shots, described in FIG. 4A as 406 a-406 g,are time-dependent signals acquired at different spatial frequencies ink-space. A Fourier transform, which may be a 2D Fourier transform, ofthe N total shots can be computed in order to produce correspondinggrayscale images 408 a-408 g.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the dashed block indicates selection of a first 3shots of chronologically-ordered N total shots, where N is 7. Inproceeding with step 312 and step 313 of sub process 311, it can beappreciated that the patient may be able to remain still for a first 3shots of k-space data, but that a remainder of the k-space data, or 4shots, will be corrupted, to at least an extent, by patient motion. Inan example, the first 3 shots of k-space data may have average motionscores within 1% of a shot of k-space data having a minimal motionscore. Thus, as described with reference to FIG. 3B, a chronologicalordering and selection of M shots of N total shots of k-space data, asthe first section of k-space data, can be performed.

Second, with respect to sub process 311 of FIG. 3C, FIG. 4B provides aschematic describing selection of M shots to be used as a first sectionof k-space, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

It can be appreciated that a MR scan, or a MR image dataset, can includea k-space 406 that comprises N total shots of k-space data. The k-spacedata of each of the N total shots, described in FIG. 4B as 406 a-406 g,are time-dependent signals acquired at different spatial frequencies ink-space. A Fourier transform, which may be a 2D Fourier transform, ofthe N total shots can be computed in order to produce correspondinggrayscale images 408 a-408 g.

As can be appreciated from FIG. 4B, and assuming the grayscale images408 a-408 g are ordered chronologically from left to right, a first Mshots of the N total shots of the k-space may not have minimal motion,as is desired for the first section of k-space. Accordingly, as in subprocess 311 of FIG. 3C, a motion score can be calculated for each shotof the N total shots of the k-space, the N total shots can be ranked,accordingly (not shown), and M shots can be selected as the firstsection of k-space. In FIG. 4B, the selected M shots are indicated bythe dashed blocks surrounding 406 c and 408 c, 406 d and 408 d, and 406f and 408 f, which are ranked as having lowest motion scores. In anexample, the lowest motion scores may be defined as D shots havingmotion scores within 1.5% of a shot of the k-space determined to have aminimal motion score. From the illustrations, it can be appreciated thatthe selected M shots that comprise the first section of k-space do notneed to be acquired within a specific time window of the MR scan, butcan be any shots from the N total shots that satisfy the motion scorerequirements.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a description of sub process 120 of method 100will be provided. First, the intermediate image estimated according tothe first section of k-space selected at sub process 120 of method 100can be obtained at step 521 of sub process 120. Subsequently, the motionparameters for a second section of k-space can be estimated at step 522of sub process 120. In an embodiment, the second section of k-space canbe one or more shots of the N total shots of the k-space of the acquiredMR scan. In an example, the second section of k-space is a subsequentshot of the N total shots of the k-space.

As described above, the motion parameters of the second section ofk-space data can be estimated at step 522 of sub process 120 as{circumflex over (T)} _(i)=min_(T) ∥A _(i) FST{circumflex over (X)} _(M)−y _(i)∥₂ ²  (3)where y_(i) is the k-space data for the second section of k-space, orshot i, A_(i) is the sampling matrix for PE lines acquired in shot i, Tis the matrix of motion parameters, and {circumflex over (T)}_(i), whichis to be solved for, is the estimated motion parameters for shot i(i.e., the second section of k-space). The estimation of Equation (3)can be performed by, for instance, Levenberg-Marquardt or another methodsuch as Newton's.

Turning now to FIG. 6, and having estimated motion parameters for thedata from the second section of k-space at sub process 120 of method100, combining data from the first section of k-space and the data fromthe second section of k-space will be described in view of sub process130 of method 100.

At a high-level, sub process 130 of method 100 evaluates whether motionpresent in the second section of k-space is above a level considered tobe beneficial to a final image that includes data therein.

Thus, at step 631 of sub process 130, a data consistency metric valuemay be calculated for the second section of k-space. In an embodiment,and as in view of FIG. 3D, the data consistency metric may a dataconsistency error value such as the 12-norm of the difference betweenthe acquired data and the data projected by the forward model (i.e.,Equation (3)) that includes the estimated motion values of the secondsection of k-space.

At step 632 of sub process 130, the calculated data consistency metricvalue may be compared to an acceptability threshold. In an embodiment,the threshold of acceptability may be a predefined percentage (e.g. <1%,<2%, <3%, <4%, <5%, <7.5%, <10%, etc.) of deviation from a shot, or asection, of k-space having a minimal data consistency metric value. Inan example, and in view of FIG. 3D, the threshold of acceptability maybe a predefined percentage (e.g. <1%, <2%, <3%, <4%, <5%, <7.5%, <10%,etc.), or other statistic, defining a level of error within the forwardmodel (i.e., Equation (3)).

In other words, if it is determined that the motion within the secondsection of k-space is sufficient to render the final image as havingpoorer quality, then the data from the second section of k-space shouldbe discarded. Accordingly, if it is determined the data from the secondsection of k-space does not satisfy the threshold of acceptability atstep 632 of sub process 130, the second section of k-space can bediscarded at step 633 of sub process 130 and a subsequent section ofk-space can be considered again at sub process 110 of method 100, ifavailable. Alternatively, if it is determined the data of the secondsection of k-space does satisfy the acceptability threshold at step 632of sub process 130, the data of the second section of k-space can beincluded with the first section of k-space and the vector of motionparameters can be updated at step 634 of sub process 130. In otherwords, when the second section of k-space is acceptable, {circumflexover (T)}_(all)(i)={circumflex over (T)}_(i), wherein {circumflex over(T)}_(i) includes the estimated motion parameters of the second sectionof k-space.

In either outcome, the result of sub process 130 of method 100 can bepassed to step 140 of method 100 and a determination can be made ofwhether additional sections of k-space should be considered. In the caseof a chronological ordering of k-space data, it may be that additionalshots of the k-space should be evaluated at sub process 110 of method100. Similarly, in the case of a motion-based ranking of the k-spacedata, it may be that additional shots of the k-space may improve qualityof the final image and should be evaluated at sub process 110 of method100.

Ultimately, when it is determined at step 140 of method 100 that noadditional sections of k-space data can improve the quality of a finalimage, method 100 proceeds to step 150 and a final reconstructed imagecan be generated.

FIG. 7 provides illustrations that demonstrate the functionality ofmethod 100 when applied to simulated high motion cases. For instance,using a true image 755 as a reference, it can be appreciated that anestimate without motion correction 756, an estimate with simultaneouscorrection of all shots 757, and an estimate with incremental correctionof N total shots 758, as described in the present disclosure, providedistinctly different outcomes. Moreover, it can be appreciated that themethods of the present disclosure generate a final reconstruction image758 that most closely resembles the true image 755.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a medical-imaging system 860within which method 100 of the present disclosure can be implemented.The medical-imaging system 860 includes at least one scanning device862, one or more image-generation devices 864, each of which is aspecially-configured computing device (e.g., a specially-configureddesktop computer, a specially-configured laptop computer, aspecially-configured server), and a display device 866.

The scanning device 862 is configured to acquire scan data by scanning aregion (e.g., area, volume, slice) of an object (e.g., a patient). Thescanning modality may be, for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), X-rayradiography, and ultrasonography.

The one or more image-generation devices 864 obtain scan data from thescanning device 862 and generate an image of the region of the objectbased on the scan data. To generate the image, for example duringintermediate image generation or during final image reconstruction, theone or more image-generation devices 864 may perform a reconstructionprocess on the scan data. Examples of reconstruction processes includeGRAPPA, CG-SENSE, SENSE, ARC, SPIRiT, and LORAKS.

In an embodiment, after the one or more image-generation devices 864generate the image, the one or more image-generation devices 864 sendthe image to the display device 864, which displays the image.

In another embodiment, and further to the above, the one or moreimage-generation devices 864 may generate two images from the same scandata. The one or more image-generation devices 864 may use differentreconstruction processes to generate the two images from the same scandata, and one image may have a lower resolution than the other image.Additionally, the one or more image-generation devices 864 may generatean image.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a non-limiting example of a magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) system 970 is shown. The MRI system 970 depicted in FIG. 9includes a gantry 971 (shown in a schematic cross-section) and variousrelated system components 972 interfaced therewith. At least the gantry971 is typically located in a shielded room. The MRI system geometrydepicted in FIG. 9 includes a substantially coaxial cylindricalarrangement of the static field B₀ magnet 973, a Gx, Gy, and Gz gradientcoil set 974, and a large whole-body RF coil (WBC) assembly 975. Along ahorizontal axis of this cylindrical array of elements is an imagingvolume 976 shown as substantially encompassing the head of a patient 977supported by a patient table 978.

One or more smaller array RF coils 979 can be more closely coupled tothe patient's head (referred to herein, for example, as “scanned object”or “object”) in imaging volume 976. As those in the art will appreciate,compared to the WBC (whole-body coil), relatively small coils and/orarrays, such as surface coils or the like, are often customized forparticular body parts (e.g., arms, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees,legs, chest, spine, etc.). Such smaller RF coils are referred to hereinas array coils (AC) or phased-array coils (PAC). These can include atleast one coil configured to transmit RF signals into the imagingvolume, and a plurality of receiver coils configured to receive RFsignals from an object, such as the patient's head, in the imagingvolume 976.

The MRI system 970 includes a MRI system controller 983 that hasinput/output ports connected to a display 980, a keyboard 981, and aprinter 982. As will be appreciated, the display 980 can be of thetouch-screen variety so that it provides control inputs as well. A mouseor other I/O device(s) can also be provided.

The MRI system controller 983 interfaces with a MRI sequence controller984, which, in turn, controls the Gx, Gy, and Gz gradient coil drivers985, as well as the RF transmitter 986, and the transmit/receive switch987 (if the same RF coil is used for both transmission and reception).The MRI sequence controller 984 includes suitable program code structure988 for implementing MRI imaging (also known as nuclear magneticresonance, or NMR, imaging) techniques including parallel imaging. MRIsequence controller 984 can be configured for MR imaging with or withoutparallel imaging. Moreover, the MRI sequence controller 984 canfacilitate one or more preparation scan (pre-scan) sequences, and a scansequence to obtain a main scan magnetic resonance (MR) image (referredto as a diagnostic image). MR data from pre-scans can be used, forexample, to determine sensitivity maps for RF coils 975 and/or 979(sometimes referred to as coil sensitivity maps or spatial sensitivitymaps), and to determine unfolding maps for parallel imaging.

The MRI system components 972 include an RF receiver 989 providing inputto data processor 990 so as to create processed image data, which issent to display 980. The MRI data processor 990 is also configured toaccess previously generated MR data, images, and/or maps, such as, forexample, coil sensitivity maps, parallel image unfolding maps,distortion maps and/or system configuration parameters 991, and MRIimage reconstruction program code structures 992 and 993.

In one embodiment, the MRI data processor 990 includes processingcircuitry. The processing circuitry can include devices such as anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), configurable logicdevices (e.g., simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complexprogrammable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), and other circuit components that are arranged to perform thefunctions recited in the present disclosure.

The processor 990 executes one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions, such as method 100 described herein, contained in theprogram code structures 992 and 993. Alternatively, the instructions canbe read from another computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk or aremovable media drive. One or more processors in a multi-processingarrangement can also be employed to execute the sequences ofinstructions contained in the program code structures 992 and 993. Inalternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry can be used in place of orin combination with software instructions. Thus, the disclosedembodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software.

Additionally, the term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refersto any non-transitory medium that participates in providing instructionsto the processor 990 for execution. A computer readable medium can takemany forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media orvolatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical,magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks, or a removable media drive.Volatile media includes dynamic memory.

Also illustrated in FIG. 9, and as referenced above, is a generalizeddepiction of an MRI system program storage (memory) 993, where storedprogram code structures are stored in non-transitory computer-readablestorage media accessible to the various data processing components ofthe MRI system 970. As those in the art will appreciate, the programstore 993 can be segmented and directly connected, at least in part, todifferent ones of the system 972 processing computers having mostimmediate need for such stored program code structures in their normaloperation (i.e., rather than being commonly stored and connecteddirectly to the MRI system controller 983).

Additionally, the MRI system 970 as depicted in FIG. 9 can be utilizedto practice exemplary embodiments described herein below. The systemcomponents can be divided into different logical collections of “boxes”and typically comprise numerous digital signal processors (DSP),microprocessors and special purpose processing circuits (e.g., for fastA/D conversions, fast Fourier transforming, array processing, etc.).Each of those processors is typically a clocked “state machine” whereinthe physical data processing circuits progress from one physical stateto another upon the occurrence of each clock cycle (or predeterminednumber of clock cycles).

Furthermore, not only does the physical state of the processing circuits(e.g., CPUs, registers, buffers, arithmetic units, etc.) progressivelychange from one clock cycle to another during the course of operation,the physical state of associated data storage media (e.g., bit storagesites in magnetic storage media) is transformed from one state toanother during operation of such a system. For example, at theconclusion of an image reconstruction process and/or sometimes an imagereconstruction map (e.g., coil sensitivity map, unfolding map, ghostingmap, a distortion map etc.) generation process, an array ofcomputer-readable accessible data value storage sites in physicalstorage media will be transformed from some prior state (e.g., alluniform “zero” values or all “one” values) to a new state wherein thephysical states at the physical sites of such an array vary betweenminimum and maximum values to represent real world physical events andconditions (e.g., the internal physical structures of a patient over animaging volume space). As those in the art will appreciate, such arraysof stored data values represent and also constitute a physicalstructure, as does a particular structure of computer control programcodes that, when sequentially loaded into instruction registers andexecuted by one or more CPUs of the MRI system 970, causes a particularsequence of operational states to occur and be transitioned throughwithin the MRI system 970.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within thescope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwisethan as specifically described herein.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be as set forth in thefollowing parentheticals.

(1) An apparatus for incremental motion correction in magnetic resonanceimaging, the apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured toestimate an intermediate image from a first section of k-space, thefirst section of the k-space corresponding to acquisition time pointswithin a magnetic resonance scan of a subject, the correspondingacquisition time points within the magnetic resonance scan beingassociated with shots of the k-space determined to have minimal motion,estimate motion parameters of a second section of the k-space using theestimated intermediate image, combine data from the first section of thek-space with data from the second section of the k-space according tothe estimated motion parameters, and reconstruct the combined data ofthe k-space to generate a final image.

(2) The apparatus according to (1), wherein the processing circuitry isfurther configured to order N shots of the k-space of the magneticresonance scan chronologically, and select, as the first section of thek-space, a first M shots of the ordered N shots of the k-space of themagnetic resonance scan.

(3) The apparatus according to either (1) or (2), wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to calculate a motion score for each ofN shots of the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan, rank the N shotsof the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan according to thecalculated motion score for each of the N shots of the k-space, theranked N shots being acquired over a full time period of the magneticresonance scan, and select, as the first section of the k-space, asection of the k-space that includes a highest ranked shot of the Nshots of the k-space and at least one other of the ranked N shots.

(4) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to update a vector of motionparameters to include the estimated motion parameters of the secondsection of the k-space, the vector of motion parameters including motionparameters corresponding to the first section of the k-space.

(5) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to reconstruct the combineddata of the k-space to generate the final image based on the updatedvector of motion parameters.

(6) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the vectorof motion parameters includes, for each combined section of the k-space,two translational values and one rotational value.

(7) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to combine the data from thefirst section of the k-space with the data from the second section ofthe k-space according to the estimated motion parameters by calculatinga value of a data consistency metric for the second section of thek-space, and discarding, when a comparison indicates the calculatedvalue of the data consistency metric is below a threshold ofacceptability, the data from the second section of the k-space.

(8) The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to calculate a dataconsistency error value for each of N shots of the k-space of themagnetic resonance scan, and select the first section of the k-spacebased on the data consistency error values calculated for each of the Nshots of the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan.

(9) A method for incremental motion correction in magnetic resonanceimaging, comprising estimating, by processing circuitry, an intermediateimage from a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-spacecorresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonancescan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within themagnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-spacedetermined to have minimal motion, estimating, by the processingcircuitry, motion parameters of a second section of the k-space usingthe estimated intermediate image, combining, by the processingcircuitry, data from the first section of the k-space with data from thesecond section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters, and reconstructing, by the processing circuitry, thecombined data of the k-space to generate a final image.

(10) The method according to (9), further comprising ordering, by theprocessing circuitry, N shots of the magnetic resonance scanchronologically, and selecting, by the processing circuitry and as thefirst section of the k-space, a first M shots of the ordered N shots ofthe magnetic resonance scan.

(11) The method according to either (9) or (10), further comprisingcalculating, by the processing circuitry, a motion score for each of Nshots of the magnetic resonance scan, ranking, by the processingcircuitry, the N shots of the magnetic resonance scan according to thecalculated motion score for each of the N shots, the ranked N shotsbeing acquired over a full time period of the magnetic resonance scan,and selecting, by the processing circuitry and as the first section ofthe k-space, a section of the k-space that includes a highest rankedshot of the N shots of the k-space and at least one other of the rankedN shots.

(12) The method according to any one of (9) to (11), further comprisingupdating, by the processing circuitry, a vector of motion parameters toinclude the estimated motion parameters of the second section of thek-space, the vector of motion parameters including motion parameterscorresponding to the first section of the k-space.

(13) The method according to any one of (9) to (12), wherein thereconstructing the combined data of the k-space to generate the finalimage is based on the updated vector of motion parameters.

(14) The method according to any one of (9) to (13), wherein the updatedvector of motion parameters includes, for each combined section of thek-space, two translational values and one rotational value.

(15) The method according to any one of (9) to (14), wherein thecombining the data from the first section of the k-space with the datafrom the second section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters includes calculating, by the processing circuitry, a value ofa data consistency metric for the second section of the k-space, anddiscarding, by the processing circuitry and when a comparison indicatesthe calculated value of the data consistency metric is below a thresholdof acceptability, the data from the second section of the k-space.

(16) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, causethe computer to perform a method for incremental motion correction inmagnetic resonance imaging, comprising estimating an intermediate imagefrom a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-spacecorresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonancescan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within themagnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-spacedetermined to have minimal motion, estimating motion parameters of asecond section of the k-space using the estimated intermediate image,combining data from the first section of the k-space with data from thesecond section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters, and reconstructing the combined data of the k-space togenerate a final image.

(17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to(16), further comprising ordering N shots of the magnetic resonance scanchronologically, and selecting, as the first section of the k-space, afirst M shots of the ordered N shots of the magnetic resonance scan.

(18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according toeither (16) or (17), further comprising calculating a motion score foreach of N shots of the magnetic resonance scan, ranking the N shots ofthe magnetic resonance scan according to the calculated motion score foreach of the N shots, the ranked N shots being acquired over a full timeperiod of the magnetic resonance scan, and selecting, as the firstsection of the k-space, a section of the k-space that includes a highestranked shot of the N shots of the k-space and at least one other of theranked N shots.

(19) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according toany one of (16) to (18), further comprising updating a vector of motionparameters to include the estimated motion parameters of the secondsection of the k-space, the vector of motion parameters including motionparameters corresponding to the first section of the k-space.

(20) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according toany one of (16) to (19), wherein the combining the data from the firstsection of the k-space with the data from the second section of thek-space according to the estimated motion parameters includescalculating a value of a data consistency metric for the second sectionof the k-space, and discarding, when the comparison indicates thecalculated value of the data consistency metric is below a threshold ofacceptability, the data from the second section of the k-space.

Thus, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting of the scopeof the invention, as well as other claims. The disclosure, including anyreadily discernible variants of the teachings herein, defines, in part,the scope of the foregoing claim terminology such that no inventivesubject matter is dedicated to the public.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for incremental motioncorrection in magnetic resonance imaging, the apparatus comprising:processing circuitry configured to estimate an intermediate image from afirst section of k-space, the first section of the k-space correspondingto acquisition time points within a magnetic resonance scan of asubject, the corresponding acquisition time points within the magneticresonance scan being associated with shots of the k-space determined tohave minimal motion, estimate motion parameters of a second section ofthe k-space using the estimated intermediate image, combine data fromthe first section of the k-space with data from the second section ofthe k-space according to the estimated motion parameters, andreconstruct the combined data of the k-space to generate a final image.2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitryis further configured to order N shots of the k-space of the magneticresonance scan chronologically, and select, as the first section of thek-space, a first M shots of the ordered N shots of the k-space of themagnetic resonance scan.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe processing circuitry is further configured to calculate a motionscore for each of N shots of the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan,rank the N shots of the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan accordingto the calculated motion score for each of the N shots of the k-space,the ranked N shots being acquired over a full time period of themagnetic resonance scan, and select, as the first section of thek-space, a section of the k-space that includes a highest ranked shot ofthe N shots of the k-space and at least one other of the ranked N shots.4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitryis further configured to update a vector of motion parameters to includethe estimated motion parameters of the second section of the k-space,the vector of motion parameters including motion parameterscorresponding to the first section of the k-space.
 5. The apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to reconstruct the combined data of the k-space to generatethe final image based on the updated vector of motion parameters.
 6. Theapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vector of motion parametersincludes, for each combined section of the k-space, two translationalvalues and one rotational value.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to combine thedata from the first section of the k-space with the data from the secondsection of the k-space according to the estimated motion parameters bycalculating a value of a data consistency metric for the second sectionof the k-space, and discarding, when a comparison indicates thecalculated value of the data consistency metric is below a threshold ofacceptability, the data from the second section of the k-space.
 8. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry isfurther configured to calculate a data consistency error value for eachof N shots of the k-space of the magnetic resonance scan, and select thefirst section of the k-space based on the data consistency error valuescalculated for each of the N shots of the k-space of the magneticresonance scan.
 9. A method for incremental motion correction inmagnetic resonance imaging, comprising: estimating, by processingcircuitry, an intermediate image from a first section of k-space, thefirst section of the k-space corresponding to acquisition time pointswithin a magnetic resonance scan of a subject, the correspondingacquisition time points within the magnetic resonance scan beingassociated with shots of the k-space determined to have minimal motion;estimating, by the processing circuitry, motion parameters of a secondsection of the k-space using the estimated intermediate image;combining, by the processing circuitry, data from the first section ofthe k-space with data from the second section of the k-space accordingto the estimated motion parameters; and reconstructing, by theprocessing circuitry, the combined data of the k-space to generate afinal image.
 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprisingordering, by the processing circuitry, N shots of the magnetic resonancescan chronologically, and selecting, by the processing circuitry and asthe first section of the k-space, a first M shots of the ordered N shotsof the magnetic resonance scan.
 11. The method according to claim 9,further comprising calculating, by the processing circuitry, a motionscore for each of N shots of the magnetic resonance scan, ranking, bythe processing circuitry, the N shots of the magnetic resonance scanaccording to the calculated motion score for each of the N shots, theranked N shots being acquired over a full time period of the magneticresonance scan, and selecting, by the processing circuitry and as thefirst section of the k-space, a section of the k-space that includes ahighest ranked shot of the N shots of the k-space and at least one otherof the ranked N shots.
 12. The method according to claim 9, furthercomprising updating, by the processing circuitry, a vector of motionparameters to include the estimated motion parameters of the secondsection of the k-space, the vector of motion parameters including motionparameters corresponding to the first section of the k-space.
 13. Themethod according to claim 12, wherein the reconstructing the combineddata of the k-space to generate the final image is based on the updatedvector of motion parameters.
 14. The method according to claim 12,wherein the updated vector of motion parameters includes, for eachcombined section of the k-space, two translational values and onerotational value.
 15. The method according to claim 9, wherein thecombining the data from the first section of the k-space with the datafrom the second section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters includes calculating, by the processing circuitry, a value ofa data consistency metric for the second section of the k-space, anddiscarding, by the processing circuitry and when a comparison indicatesthe calculated value of the data consistency metric is below a thresholdof acceptability, the data from the second section of the k-space.
 16. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, causethe computer to perform a method for incremental motion correction inmagnetic resonance imaging, comprising: estimating an intermediate imagefrom a first section of k-space, the first section of the k-spacecorresponding to acquisition time points within a magnetic resonancescan of a subject, the corresponding acquisition time points within themagnetic resonance scan being associated with shots of the k-spacedetermined to have minimal motion; estimating motion parameters of asecond section of the k-space using the estimated intermediate image;combining data from the first section of the k-space with data from thesecond section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters; and reconstructing the combined data of the k-space togenerate a final image.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium according to claim 16, further comprising ordering N shots of themagnetic resonance scan chronologically, and selecting, as the firstsection of the k-space, a first M shots of the ordered N shots of themagnetic resonance scan.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium according to claim 16, further comprising calculating amotion score for each of N shots of the magnetic resonance scan, rankingthe N shots of the magnetic resonance scan according to the calculatedmotion score for each of the N shots, the ranked N shots being acquiredover a full time period of the magnetic resonance scan, and selecting,as the first section of the k-space, a section of the k-space thatincludes a highest ranked shot of the N shots of the k-space and atleast one other of the ranked N shots.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, furthercomprising updating a vector of motion parameters to include theestimated motion parameters of the second section of the k-space, thevector of motion parameters including motion parameters corresponding tothe first section of the k-space.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein thecombining the data from the first section of the k-space with the datafrom the second section of the k-space according to the estimated motionparameters includes calculating a value of a data consistency metric forthe second section of the k-space, and discarding, when the comparisonindicates the calculated value of the data consistency metric is below athreshold of acceptability, the data from the second section of thek-space.